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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Currently finishing this at 3am while giggling to myself
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Okay I am super torn on this book yet overall I enjoyed it. Was it cute? Yup! Is Leah a relatable bitch? Yup! Is the teenage drama dial turned up to the cringe level? Unfortunately. I enjoyed it, but the lack of actual character growth hurt and the cringe factor was rather large. 3.5 overall.
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS, BUT NO SPECIFICS.**
I *really* liked Simon Vs. The Homo-Sapiens Agenda, the first book from Albertalli about Creekwood and its teens, so I dug right into "Leah" when it came up on my reserved list at the EPL. Annnnnnnd. . . . it was pretty good, but it had a lot of the signs of a not-very-successful sequel: a somewhat-strained plot, characters that were less engaging than the first story's protagonists, and less successful writing overall. Leah's character is a prickly, apparently quite big, artist/drummer who is bisexual. Despite her very accepting friend group, she's scared to come out: the conflict of the plot revolves around this issue, as "Simon Vs." did as well. In addition, this group of friends is graduating, so the issue of splitting and heading to various colleges is a tension too--and that's where the story flounders. It's clear from the start that Leah and another girl in her group are attracted to each other, but it's so clear that that fact lacks the tension necessary to keep the book moving. When they do admit their feelings, Albertalli doesn't develop the issue: how does the ex-boyfriend respond? How does the quite wonderful Garrett respond? Gender identity aside--and one thing I really like about these books is that gender identity DOES seem to be *not* a big issue!!--there are questions of honesty and loss and unrequited love that I expected to be the core of the book, and they just weren't.
In addition, Leah's character is a bit of a mess. She's supposedly a drummer, but we only are told that and only see her drum once in a weird "recruited by college students" scene, so her talent seems pasted on. Her art, though more developed, also feels like an add-on plot element, as 1. it does allow the relationship to flourish, but 2. her decision to start marketing it is mentioned and resolved quite randomly.
So, overall: "Leah" is a pleasant read, but "Simon vs." is a much better book.
I *really* liked Simon Vs. The Homo-Sapiens Agenda, the first book from Albertalli about Creekwood and its teens, so I dug right into "Leah" when it came up on my reserved list at the EPL. Annnnnnnd. . . . it was pretty good, but it had a lot of the signs of a not-very-successful sequel: a somewhat-strained plot, characters that were less engaging than the first story's protagonists, and less successful writing overall. Leah's character is a prickly, apparently quite big, artist/drummer who is bisexual. Despite her very accepting friend group, she's scared to come out: the conflict of the plot revolves around this issue, as "Simon Vs." did as well. In addition, this group of friends is graduating, so the issue of splitting and heading to various colleges is a tension too--and that's where the story flounders. It's clear from the start that Leah and another girl in her group are attracted to each other, but it's so clear that that fact lacks the tension necessary to keep the book moving. When they do admit their feelings, Albertalli doesn't develop the issue: how does the ex-boyfriend respond? How does the quite wonderful Garrett respond? Gender identity aside--and one thing I really like about these books is that gender identity DOES seem to be *not* a big issue!!--there are questions of honesty and loss and unrequited love that I expected to be the core of the book, and they just weren't.
In addition, Leah's character is a bit of a mess. She's supposedly a drummer, but we only are told that and only see her drum once in a weird "recruited by college students" scene, so her talent seems pasted on. Her art, though more developed, also feels like an add-on plot element, as 1. it does allow the relationship to flourish, but 2. her decision to start marketing it is mentioned and resolved quite randomly.
So, overall: "Leah" is a pleasant read, but "Simon vs." is a much better book.
I totally didn't know this was a sequel! It was so cute that now I have to get the first book. I definitely recommend this book.
Another teenage coming out story from this author, which again fleshes out a wide range of relevant aspects in a nice, easy to read story
Neni to Simon.
Docela mi trvalo, než jsem se do toho začetla. Nebylo to špatné.
Docela mi trvalo, než jsem se do toho začetla. Nebylo to špatné.
An enjoyable book that was not great, but was a good read.